Three Things That Inspired Me This Week!

   

Inspiration is a word we use quite often, but I would venture to say what inspires each of us is going to be different. 

In design I seem to see less, and less that inspires me these days, but I attribute that to the many, many years I have been reading about design, and of all the wonderful images I have seen.  

When I see something that inspires me I like to pass it on to you in hopes that you will become inspired to new possibilities.

This Weeks……….

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I have a love for numbers and letters and this is right up my alley. 

I am definitely going to try and find a place for this to work in my home. I will be using letters and numbers that represent family members names and birth dates, or an anniversary date. Just think of the fun you can have with this.

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My friends Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar took a trip to Southern California . While visiting some friends that live by the ocean they had a seafood boil.

( For those of who might not know this, Eddie has started blogging again!)

 Go HERE and check out his blog. Eddie always inspires me and I am thrilled he is back to blogging. Blogland has missed his presence.

Now back to the fish boil.......

 

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This is something I have always wanted to do, and have not done yet. I even looked into having it shipped from Maine, at one time. YES you heard that right there is a company that will do that for you.

Just click HERE!

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I love traditional, blue and white, and a touch of whimsy.  I think by painting the pedestals bright green I am going to get some whimsy. 

This really caught my eye, and this just might be showing up in my family room someday. 

I already have all the elements I need except for the green paint and that will be a simple fix. 

This really excited me!! I know it is not for everyone, but it is definitely a good fit for me.

So there you have my three inspirational finds for this week! I hope these have inspired you!!

 

 

Time, "To Do!" and "To Shop!"

 

In the last two post you had a little bit of homework.
You needed to make some list, but in today’s post the only list you will be making is a To Do List, and A Shopping list.

 Hopefully you have read the last two post in this series :

Living With Your Dreams And Staying Happy - click HERE!

Something We Can All Do In Our Homes Now - click Here!

If not, go do that, and come right back here.

For those of you that did read the last two post it is
time to get to work.

This is actually the fun part.

Often we will add more, and more elements to a room we don’t like because we think we don't have the right combination.

We keep searching for just the right thing. The results, or pitfall of this way of thinking is we wind up with a room full of clutter.

Just think you are about to see your home in a whole new light.

First things first:

I want you to go into the room  that you want to make some changes, and remove all of the knick-knacks, lamps, artwork. 

Everything except the furniture. 

I want you to place your items in categories:

1. Textures: shiny, rough and all wood items
2. Color
3. Sizes: Big, medium and small.

This will help you later when it comes time to put things back into your room.

By doing this you have just created a clean slate to work with.

Now is a good time to do some painting if that is on your, “Can Do list.”

With a clean slate you can now look at your room more objectively.

Look at the furniture arrangement and ask yourself the following questions…

1. Can it  be moved around for a better function and aesthetics?
2. Do you need to take any pieces of furniture out of the room?
3. Are their furniture pieces in the rest of your home that would work better in this space?


(If you have more time than energy, or brawn use this site to help you see your room in different arrangements before actually getting physical…….
Better Homes and Gardens Room Arranger click HERE!)

Once you have your room arranged in the manner you are happy with I would like you to bring in all of your lighting.



I am going to stop here for just a moment, and tell you that most rooms do NOT have enough lighting.

Did you know that there is actually a formula for how much lighting a room needs?

FORMULA FOR LIGHTING

Once you figure out how many watts you need in your room place your lamps in the room. Don’t forget to look in other rooms for lamps that might look better in this room.

If you find you are on the shy side for lighting add a new lamp, or two to you shopping list.

Next I want you to bring in the items that you absolutely love into the room. 

Remember when I had you put things into categories? 

Before bringing anything back into the room you will evaluate what your room needs according to size, texture , or color of each item you are about to place into the room.

I find it easier to place the larger objects, and the objects that are for functional (like lighting) first.

 

Larger pieces would be lamps and artwork.

Most people hang their artwork to high, and  very often  it is under sized for the area.

If you need some ideas go HERE! and you will see all kinds of possibilities, and configurations. Also if you go HERE you will find many post on how to hang artwork.

Don’t forget to shop your own home first before writing anything down on your shopping list.

Now that you see your room from a different perspective it just might open up a new possibility that you had never imagined.

One by one start adding ONLY the items that you truly love, and find beautiful and want to surround you.

All of the above takes time, research, hard work and patience, but the end result will be a room you are much happier with and love being in.

If you have made it this far in the series I am very proud of you and happy for you.

In my next post I am going to give you some clever inexpensive ways to change things in your home that won’t break the bank.

 

 

LOVE Then and Now!

Love is such a wonderful feeling, whether it be love of your partner, the love of a child, the love of a friend or the love of a family pet, it is all wonderful.

So on this day I hope you feel loved.

I fell in love with the love of my life in 1968. The picture on the left was taken at the church Sweetheart banquet in 1968. 

The picture on the right was taken in Paris in 2012.

Little did I know in 1968 that that boy I am looking at would be the love of my life.

These pictures were taken on, "Love Lock," bridge in Paris. 

You are suppose to place a love lock on the bridge and throw the key into the River Seine. 

My sweet hubby used the lock that he had on his locker at work for years and wrote the sweet message to me on the lock.

 A trip of a lifetime with the one I love more than I can express.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO YOU ALL